第90章

第90章bagrationmarchedforty-fiveversts,bynightinstormyweather,throughthemountains,withnoroad,andwithhungry,barefootsoldiers.leavingathirdofhismenlingbehindhim,bagrationreachedhollabrunn,ontheviennaandznaimroad,afewhoursbeforethefrench,whomarcheduponhollabrunnfromvienna.kutuzovneededfullyanothertwenty-fourhourstogettoznaimwithallthetransport,andsotosavethearmybagrationwouldhavehad,withhisfourthousandhungryandexhaustedsoldiers,tohavekeptatbaythewholearmyoftheenemyconfrontinghimathollabrunnforfour-and-twentyhours,andthiswasobviouslyimpossible.butafreakoffatemadetheimpossiblepossible.theessofthetrickthathadgiventheviennabridgeintothehandsofthefrenchencouragedmurattotryandtakeinkutuzovtoo.murat,onmeetingbagration’sweakdetachmentontheznaimroad,supposedittobethewholearmyofkutuzov.togivethisarmyafinalandcrushingdefeathewaitedforthetroopsstillontheroadfromvienna,andtothatendheproposedatruceforthreedays,ontheconditionthatneitherarmyshouldchangeitspositionnorstirfromwhereitwas.murataverredthatnegotiationsforpeacewerenowproceeding,andthatheproposedatrucethereforetoavoiduselessbloodshed.theaustriangeneral,nostits,whowasinchargeoftheadvanceposts,believedthestatementsofmurat’smessengersandretired,leavingbagration’sdetachmentunprotected.theothermessengersrodeofftotherussianlinetomakethesameannouncementaboutpeacenegotiations,andtoproposeatruceofthreedays,totherussiantroops.bagrationrepliedthathewasnotauthorisedtoacceptortodeclineatruce,andsenthisadjutanttokutuzovwithareportofthepropositionmadetohim.

atrucegavekutuzovtheonlypossibilityofgainingtime,oflettingbagration’sexhaustedforcesrest,andofgettingthetransportandheavyconvoys（themovementofwhichwasconcealedfromthefrench）afurtherstageontheirjourney.theofferofatrucegavetheone—andtotallyunexpected—chanceofsavingthearmy.onreceivinginformationofit,kutuzovpromptlydespatchedthegeneral-adjutant,winzengerode,whowaswithhim,totheenemy’scamp.winzengerodewasinstructednotonlytoacceptthetruce,buttoproposetermsofcapitulation,whilekutuzovmeanwhilesenthisadjutantsbacktohastentotheutmostthetransportoftheageofthewholearmyalongthekremsandznaimroad.bagration’shungryandexhausteddetachmentalonewastocoverthemovementsofthetransportandofthewholearmy,byremainingstationaryinfaceofanenemyeighttimesstrongernumerically.

kutuzov’santicipationswerecorrectbothastotheproposalsofcapitulation,whichboundhimtonothing,givingtimeforpartofthetransporttoreachznaim,andastomurat’sblunderbeingveryquicklydiscovered.assoonasbonaparte,whowasatsch？nbrunn,onlytwenty-fiveverstsfromhollabrunn,receivedmurat’sdespatchandprojectsoftruceandcapitulation,hedetectedthedeceptionanddespatchedthefollowinglettertomurat：

toprincemurat.

sch？nbrunn,25brumaire,year1805,

at8o’clockinthemorning.

“itisimpossibletofindtermsinwhichtoexpresstoyoumydispleasure.youonlycommandmyadvanceguardandyouhavenorighttomakeanytrucewithoutmyorder.youarecausingmetolosetheresultsofacampaign.breakthetruceimmediatelyandmarchupontheenemy.youmustmakeadeclarationtothemthatthegeneralwhosignedthiscapitulationhadnorighttodoso,andthatonlytheemperorofrussiahasthatright.

“whenevertheemperorofrussiaratifiestheaforesaidconvention,however,iwillratifyit;butitisonlyastratagem.marchon,destroytherussianarmy…youareinapositiontotakeitsageandartillery.

“theemperorofrussia’saide-de-campisa…officersarenothingwhentheyhavenotpowers;thisonehadnone.…theaustriansletthemselvesbetrickedaboutthecrossingofthebridgeofvienna,youarelettingyourselfbetrickedbyoneoftheemperor’saides-de-camp.

“napoleon.”

bonaparte’sadjutantdashedoffatfullgallopwiththismenacinglettertomurat.nottrustinghisgenerals,bonapartehimselfadvancedtothefieldofbattlewithhiswholeguard,fearfuloflettingthesnaredvictimslipthroughhisfingers.meanwhilethefourthousandmenofbagration’sdetachment,merrilylightingcamp-fires,driedandwarmedthemselves,andcookedtheirporridgeforthefirsttimeforthreedays,andnotoneamongthemknewordreamedofwhatwasinstoreforthem.